Poetry Coursework Essay Example Essay Example

Poetry Coursework Essay Example Paper Poetry Coursework Essay Introduction Love is an important literary tradition, in that it, it has been written about by poets down the ages. Choose at least three love poems you have studied and comment on the different ways in which, the subject has been dealt with.Out of the poems I have studied, I have decided to choose â€Å"His Coy Mistress† written by Andrew Marvell, â€Å"My Last Duchess† written by Robert Browning and finally â€Å"The Flea† written by John Donne. In my essay I will explain what is going on in the poem, what relevance it has to the poet etc. The way the poem is structured and how it is written.Finally I will compare the poems and link them using similar things involved with love etc. Then I will write a final conclusion to the comparisons.The first poem that I am going to discuss is † To His Coy Mistress† by Andrew Marvell. This is a poem of seduction; the man is trying to persuade his mistress to have sex with him. He starts off by saying how he would treat her i f he had all the time in the world. In the first stanza, there is even reference to Noah’s Ark, in the line â€Å"Love you ten years before the Flood.† He uses the idea of waiting by saying, â€Å"Till the conversion of the Jews, my vegetable love shall grow.† To people in those times this would be extremely humorous. The man says he would do anything in the world to gain her love. From our point of view it seems the man does not love her, but it is rather a case of lust. He also describes it as being a race to be run or a hard fought battle, giving a more dramatic view on him trying to seduce her. He then praises her in the lines â€Å"Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze, two hundred to adore each breast, and thirty thousand to the rest.† This is a show of praise from the man that is clearly an attempt to impress her by using such adoring phrases.Moving on to the second stanza, he is trying to get the message across to her that they don’t have al l the time in the world to do these things and that they must do them right at that instant or else time will run out and no one shall experience the mistress’s true beauty. At the start of the second verse the lines read â€Å"And yonder all before us lie, deserts of vast eternity.† This stanza includes mostly words that look to the future and what lies ahead for them (the man and his mistress). He gives the indication there is no hope for either of them if they do not have sex. Included in the next few lines of the verse is the image of death. The man is trying to almost frighten the woman by using adjectives or phrases to do with death. This is contained in lines twenty-five to thirty two. An extract from lines twenty-five to twenty six, in which the man says, â€Å"My echoing song; then worms shall try, that long preserved virginity.†This is the strangest thing suggested by the man. He is saying that the woman would lose her virginity to the worms when she i s buried after death. This would obviously occur if she did not have sex with him or so the man insists. All in all the man is trying in a way to persuade her to have sex with him but in a strange way, by trying to frighten her.Moving on to the third stanza, the man is indicating to his mistress that because of all the things he has explained, that they should do what he says. He is telling his mistress in many ways that they should give into their desires and have sex. However later on in the verse he mentions the iron gates of life, this is seen to many of us as the gates of heaven and hell of morality on whether to have sex or not. Then in the last two lines of the poem he is stating that you cannot stop time, but if you enjoy it goes quicker, another indication to give into their supposed desires.The second poem that I’m going to talk about is † The Flea† which was written by John Donne. This is another poem that is to do with a man wanting to have sex with a woman. In this poem however the couple are soon to be married. He is again trying to persuade his future wife whenever he spots a flea.In the first stanza the man spots the flea and makes a point that the flea has his blood and her blood in it after biting them and sucking it out. He is making the point that they are one in this flea, so why cant they have sex. He tells her that it is no sin to lose your virginity before marriage. He makes the point that the flea has had more freedom on her body than he has. This is the clear point he is trying to make in the first verse, that they should have sex. He repeats his theory of using the flea to try and persuade her still.He is trying to use the idea of the flea again in the second stanza, he says in the first line of this stanza â€Å"Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare†. What this means is that if she kills the flea it is like killing not only the flea but also both of them. He then continues this theory by saying the flea is a â€Å"temple† of their marriage. We then understand that the woman’s parents don’t approve of the man marrying their daughter. He still goes on about his theory of killing the flea; we begin to think that the woman is getting annoyed with him being so supposedly stupid. We suspect she is going to kill the flea to end this annoying and silly episode. He now starts pleading with her not to kill the flea. He starts off jokingly saying he could kill him by killing the flea and then goes on to say that not only will she be killing the flea and himself but her as well. He says this as if she is really going to kill herself, he also demands that it would be sacrilege to kill this flea for it would kill all three, the flea, him and her.The woman now at the start of the third stanza has actually killed the flea. The man begs the question why have you killed innocent living things meaning the flea, himself and her. He then accuses her of being cruel. He criticises her by saying she is weaker than he is by killing the flea. The man says his hope is pointless as she has now killed him in killing the flea and to some extent that she has broken his â€Å"spirit.†In comparison with the first poem â€Å"His Coy Mistress† it is a similar poem to that, with the men in both poems trying to persuade the woman to have sex with them. Also in both, the man uses things or ways to try and seduce the woman. In â€Å"His Coy Mistress† the man uses many different ways to try and seduce her while in â€Å"The Flea† the man uses a only one way which is plainly and simply the flea. Both poems last word of each line rhymes with the previous line. Most of the lines are also the same length so both poems contain rhyming couplets. We think that in both poems the men are more for lust than love. They are both using strange ways to seduce their woman. Using an unusual object to signify something else, for example the flea used in the poem was kn own as conceut.The third poem I’m going to discuss is called â€Å"My Last Duchess.† Robert Browning wrote this. This poem is an example of a â€Å"Dramatic monologue.† This is a poem about a man who tells woman what to do and when he wants her to do it. This is an example of how society was when this poem was set; the man had a massive empowerment over his wife.At the start it seems that someone is looking at a painting of a duchess. He then starts talking to him about the painting. We guess that this man knows a lot about that duchess that is depicted in the painting. He says it looks as if she where alive, this makes us think that this woman is now dead. This man who is talked about is clearly proud of the painting in what is said in the first few lines.We then begin to learn of the story of an arrogant duke who knows what he likes and gets what he wants, this is down to the fact that he does not admire the beauty of the woman no more but the work of Fra Pand olph who painted the picture. The way the poem is written (involving the poems rhyme scheme) suits the duke’s arrogance. The duke talks about how beautiful she looked, wearing one of his many gifts to her. The gift, a broach shows how much affection the duke has for the woman. We learn that the duke is unimpressed with the duchess’ reaction to the gift he has bought for her. The duchess does not rank his gift.This is the part of the poem where the duke changes his complexion and becomes angry and frustrated with the duchess. He is annoyed with her response to the gift he has given her. The duke says she is cruel to his family’s name, he says it is a gift. This is because his family name is well known name in the aristocracy. He continues talking about this by saying his family name is a 900 years old and is a great legacy. The duke is becoming more and more frustrated. The duke now seems to have control of her and almost owns her. This was a common situation for the time the poem was written in as in that society a man controlled what his wife did or didn’t do. The duchess again goes against the duke’s wishes.The duke now decides to execute the woman as he claims she has no respect for him or his family name. To us this seems cruel and harsh on the lady because all of this has been done against her own will and her right to live. The duke is making a point in executing her by saying you don’t cross him or he will punish you severely. The duke is in effect dehumanising her. We learn then that the duke is about to get married again and has added her to his list of possessions etc. He treats her like an object not a human. We then realise what the moral too the poem is. It is that the duke collects his wives like he collects his paintings and makes the point again that the woman is simply just an object and one of the mans possessions.Unlike the other poems the duke demands rather than trying to persuade or seduce the wom an like in â€Å"The Flea† or â€Å"His Coy Mistress†. The woman pays the ultimate price for this and is executed. This poem was written more than two centuries later than the other two poems. It also has a rhyme scheme that suits the duke’s arrogance because the poem is presented in one big block, with assertive full stops and dominance unlike the other two poems in which the poem is split up into a few stanzas. In â€Å"My Last Duchess† the poem is written as one big verse. But similar to the other two poems it contains rhyming couplets.In conclusion all the poems deal with the situation of a man wanting to have sex with a woman, in all the poems we think the man was more for lust than true love. Some poems describe how society was in the time the poem was written. This is especially so in â€Å"My Last Duchess.† Since these poems were written there is now a better attitude to women than there was a long time ago as depicted in these poems. Women now have greater rights than they used to and when they are married they are not owned by their husband. They have the free right to do what they want. Finally, I think that all these three poems show clearly how much man’s attitude to woman has changed over the past centuries. They are no longer married because of money etc. but for love. Poetry Coursework Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!

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â€Å"Hands on learning† is the buzz word throughout school systems. The best way for students to learn is through doing. Subject content areas are filled with hands on learning ideas and activities. A student can learn and discover through experimentation. Most lesson plans available on the Internet are full of activities and learning styles that are facilitated by innovative instruction styles. â€Å"The value of peer interaction depends not only on children’s abilities to engage with one another, but also on the teacher’s ability to engage sometimes as a peer† (DeVries and Zan, pg. 56). Teachers are no longer dictators standing at the blackboard while students sit at their desks with their hands folded. Now students are teaching each other through cooperative learning groups. Students are working together to learn. Once in a Blue Moon is a science lesson plan for primary students to learn about features of the moon. The lesson plan introduces a literature tie-in which is an appropriate and engaging start for the lesson. Hands on learning is also included through watercolor paintings. Art is important for young students. Students enjoy the activity while improving their fine motor skills. The conclusion of the lesson is a class discussion focusing on facts about the moon. A class discussion can be highly effective when it is generated and facilitated correctly by the teacher and students. With primary students class discussions tend to be side tracked very easily. If a class discussion is facilitated properly it can stay on task and allow students to speak openly about the topic. Discussions are a terrific wrap up to any lesson. For grade levels 4, 5, and 6 students study the moon through an experiment offered in the lesson plan Phases of the Moon. The lesson plan is not heavily detailed. It relies on the book The Moon Seems to Change by Franklyn M. Branley to explain the experiment. The overview of the lesson describes the l... Free Essays on Internet Review Free Essays on Internet Review â€Å"Hands on learning† is the buzz word throughout school systems. The best way for students to learn is through doing. Subject content areas are filled with hands on learning ideas and activities. A student can learn and discover through experimentation. Most lesson plans available on the Internet are full of activities and learning styles that are facilitated by innovative instruction styles. â€Å"The value of peer interaction depends not only on children’s abilities to engage with one another, but also on the teacher’s ability to engage sometimes as a peer† (DeVries and Zan, pg. 56). Teachers are no longer dictators standing at the blackboard while students sit at their desks with their hands folded. Now students are teaching each other through cooperative learning groups. Students are working together to learn. Once in a Blue Moon is a science lesson plan for primary students to learn about features of the moon. The lesson plan introduces a literature tie-in which is an appropriate and engaging start for the lesson. Hands on learning is also included through watercolor paintings. Art is important for young students. Students enjoy the activity while improving their fine motor skills. The conclusion of the lesson is a class discussion focusing on facts about the moon. A class discussion can be highly effective when it is generated and facilitated correctly by the teacher and students. With primary students class discussions tend to be side tracked very easily. If a class discussion is facilitated properly it can stay on task and allow students to speak openly about the topic. Discussions are a terrific wrap up to any lesson. For grade levels 4, 5, and 6 students study the moon through an experiment offered in the lesson plan Phases of the Moon. The lesson plan is not heavily detailed. It relies on the book The Moon Seems to Change by Franklyn M. Branley to explain the experiment. The overview of the lesson describes the l...

Avoid These 15 Career Mistakes If You Want to Get and Keep a Job

Avoid These 15 Career Mistakes If You Want to Get and Keep a Job If love is a battlefield (and we all know it is, thanks to Pat Benatar), then the career world is a minefield. There’s the resume and interview process, but the dangers don’t end once you’re hired and installed comfortably in a cubicle somewhere. Let’s take a look at some of the most common career mistakes throughout the job cycle, and what you can do to try to avoid them. 1. Before You’re Hired2. On the Job3. On Your Way Out4. Your Future CareerBefore You’re HiredThe clock for potential missteps kicks off the second you decide to apply for a job. Here’s what you should be wary of doing:1. Making blatant mistakes in the cover letter/resume.In many cases, your cover letter is your first chance to make an impression on the recruiter or hiring manager. If you go in with a bunch of obvious errors (or one really egregious one), this suggests that you might be as sloppy an employee as you appear as a candidate. Always check everything thorou ghly for typos, and if possible, have a trusted friend or family member read over any materials you’re going to release to the world.I have a friend who made the most horrible typo possible, accidentally leaving a super-vulgar mistyped word in a cover letter to a company that, shall we say, wasn’t very likely to laugh off such a word appearing in communication with them. Needless to say, he never got a call for an interview at that place. Trust me, it’s worth it to spend the time to write and revise your resume, engineering it down to every word.2. Addressing the wrong person/company.Dear Sir at Widget Company, I was excited to hear about an opening at your company. I’ve always wanted to work at Widgets R Us. I anxiously await your response. [Spoiler alert: no interview forthcoming.]3. Phoning-in the interview.Whether you don’t really want this job after all, or you think you can coast because you’re very qualified, don’t take anythin g for granted. Always bring your A-game to any interview. Even if the job is unlikely to pan out, it’s good practice, and the people who take the time to talk with you about the job will appreciate your engagement and enthusiasm.4. Not following up with a thank you.Whether the interview went awesome or terribly, always follow up quickly with a thank you note. Manners go a long way, and you never know when you’ll come across the same people in the course of a future job search.5. Being too aggressive (or not aggressive enough).The Goldilocks approach works here. Don’t go in, all iron-grip handshake and unblinking eye contact. Also don’t go in looking at the floor and answering only direct questions. Try to find a happy medium where you’re confident, but not challenging every interviewer you meet to a staring contest.6. Talk money too early in the hiring process.As the old saying goes, â€Å"he who shoots first, loses.† If you bring up salary before the company is ready to make an offer, you can come off as mercenary- or worse, you can unintentionally limit your negotiating power after you have an offer in hand. Leave the interview process for getting to know the job and presenting yourself as the best candidate, and keep the negotiating for later. There’s no real upside to discussing money early in the process, and many opportunities for it to blow back on you.7. Not negotiating at all. No matter how grateful you are to get a job, always try to negotiate the best possible salary and benefits. Companies expect this, and as long as your requests are reasonable, it’s a must-do once you have a job offer. If you don’t negotiate and try to build on the initial offer, the only one you’re hurting is yourself.On the JobOnce you’ve got the job, don’t get too complacent- you still need to be careful about making mistakes. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to be perfect at all times, and that errors won’t sometimes happen in the course of your job. These are more the situations to avoid in the workplace.8. Making decisions purely based on money.If you love your job but jump ship for the first opportunity that comes along and pays better, you could live to regret that. Make sure that major decisions (like accepting a job somewhere else or deciding to leave) are backed up by a number of factors you’ve considered, including salary, benefits, your overall level of happiness, and your career goals9. Keeping your head down.Working hard is super important, but you know what else is too? Connecting with coworkers. You don’t have to be best buds, but making a nominal effort to get your coworkers can really help you later on. Not only do you get comfortable with people whose faces you see every day, but you never know when an ally will come in handy in the office. Quash those introvert tendencies and make small talk the next time you find y ourself waiting at the copier with â€Å"Tim†¦uh, Something from accounting.†10. Limiting your network to people you work with.It’s great to get to know people at every level in your company (see #9). However, don’t fall into a trap where your entire active network is located within your office’s four walls. Part of the beauty of having a network is getting information and opportunities from other places, so why limit yourself? If your LinkedIn profile is mostly people you see at least four times a week at the watercooler, it’s time to branch out and start making connections with people at other companies.11. Avoiding difficult situations.Challenges are excellent experience builders. Fear of failing can make us more likely to avoid taking on unfamiliar projects and goals, but you could be hurting yourself in the long run to keep things smooth in the short term. You’re unlikely to learn new skills or gain experience if you stick narrowly to your job description. It’ll also leave you with fewer instances where you can point to genuine growth and problem solving skills.12. Not owning up to mistakes.Not wanting to get in trouble with the boss is a pretty valid feeling. However, I’m assuming that you’re human. And accordingly, mistakes will happen at some point. It’s how you deal with those that can make or break your reputation. Don’t be the person who starts looking for someone to throw under the bus when things are going wrong. Be the one who says, â€Å"this is what’s wrong, here’s how we’re going to approach this, and here’s how this will be handled moving forward.†Not only that, but you also don’t want to earn a reputation as someone who trashes coworkers to make yourself look better. If you’re leading a group and others dropped the ball, it shows better leadership skills to take responsibility for the group’s performance a nd move on than to sit there pointing fingers at everyone else.13. Saying yes to everything.This is a tough one. You want to seem like an uber-employee, able to handle everything that comes your way. However part of being that uber-employee is knowing your limits, and being able to manage priorities. Getting overwhelmed is never going to be helpful- not for you, and not for anyone who’s counting on you to do the things you said you’d do.On Your Way Out Oh, did you think that once you’ve decided to leave your job, it no longer matters what you do? Nope, you’re still on the hook. There’s still potential for things to go awry.14. Burning bridges.This popsicle stand may be blown (or about to be), but no matter how resentful or angry you feel about your soon-to-be-former job, it’s in your best interest to be gracious until your last second in the office. You never know who you’ll come across again in the future, so you don’t want th e lingering impression to be, â€Å"Oh, I remember that person. What a jerk!†Your Future CareerThere’s one more mistake you don’t want to make, and this one has nothing to do with what you’re currently doing; it has to do with limiting your future career options.15. Letting inertia get the better of you.Are you still at your job because you don’t want to rock the boat and try to leave? Are you sacrificing career goals in the interest of stability? According to Forbes’s Liz Ryan, this â€Å"falling asleep† is one of the deadliest things that can happen in your career. Always be on the lookout for new opportunities, and find ways to make these opportunities work so that you can take advantage.Taken individually, none of these career mistakes are likely to translate into being career killers. But if you’re more aware of the consequences of even the smallest career pitfalls, you’ll be that more adept in getting right around them.

Product Development of Subaru Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Product Development of Subaru - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the changing trends have affected Subaru due to changes in demand for cars. The demand for the SUVs increased in the last decade while there was a decrease in the demand for small cars. Such changes in consumer behavior affect the sales performance of the products delivered to the market. The success of any new product is based on the ability to resonate with the customers which are a plus if achieved. The change in the behavior of the customer must be reciprocated with product change or improvement. The company has invested in massive customer demand research with the focus being on the preferences of the customers especially to change in design and performance of the product. The success of the new approach is evident in the success achieved in the utility vehicles developed after the research. In the modern market, the customer is king as such the company must engage research for success to be achieved. The approach of Subaru in resea rch and development has increased product performance.

Americas Equality is our Shared Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Americas Equality is our Shared Reality - Essay Example Without these equalities, there could be no freedom. Fuchs clarifies the unique relationship we have with freedom and equality when he testifies, "Liberty was grounded in what they called the equality of every person under God, a belief asserted in the Declaration of Independence". Equality is not a myth; it is an idea and concept that our law, culture, and freedom is rooted in. It is a reality that we continue to struggle to attain and vigilantly guard to preserve as much today as we did in 1776. Jefferson's immortal words, "all men are created equal", were meant to be an ideal to aspire to, and that ideal is as real today as it was then. They were not stated as an accurate reflection of the current state of affairs in 1776. Jefferson did not imply that there was absolute equality and that all men would forever be treated fairly. He was keenly aware of the injustices facing the infant Nation as well as he understood the long road that lie ahead towards true liberty. Jefferson, a slaveholder all his life, was against the institution of slavery and looked forward to the day of its abolishment. As if looking into the future with crystal clear vision, Jefferson understood the grave issues at stake for America and the looming threat of violence and destruction if the people failed to accept his words. Writing of the necessity of a movement toward eventual emancipation, he writes in his Autobiography, in the year 1820, It was found that the public mind would not yet bear the proposition, nor will it bear it even at this day. Yet the day is not distant when it must bear and adopt it, or worse will follow. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free []. The reality of Jefferson's notion of equality is further evidenced by the slow, yet steady, progress America has made towards these concepts. When drastically altering our culture, laws, and society, change must necessarily proceed at a deliberate pace. While for many change has not come quick enough, we can view America's commitment to Jefferson's words and the reality of the idea by comparing 1776 to today. When the Declaration of Independence was written, there was an entrenched system of slavery that affected a single race. Women were not allowed to own property and only a minority of the population were allowed to vote. The issue of the displaced Native Americans still loomed in the future. Sixty years after the revolution for equality, women were granted the right to own property. Every generation since then has seen more equality affecting more people than their parents had witnessed. The next generation saw these immortal words reaffirmed at Gettysburg, P.A., when Lincoln proclaimed that America was, "[] conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal". Equality was no myth to Lincoln as he tackled the difficult task of freeing the slaves and playing out the prediction that Jefferson had made forty years earlier. Ensuing years would be graced with the monumental Fourteenth Amendment, which once again framed Jefferson's words as it reads, "[] nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal

Linguistics and Language Essay Example for Free

Linguistics and Language Essay In this essay, I will explain as well as compare two theories of first language acquisition, behaviorism and innatism. I will explore the differences between them in such categories as the role of the learner, the role of the environment and as well as their strengths and weaknesses. I will then state and explain which one I find more tenable with examples of relevant literature. Role of the Learner Behaviorism, credited to B. F. Skinner in the 1950s, states that the learner knows nothing to start with, he is an empty slate [o1] to be taught. The learner is passive and learns by positive-negative reinforcement, only repeating what he hears. Innatism, credited to Noam Chomsky in 1965, states that the learner is wired from birth for language. The learner is equipped with a LAD, a language acquisition device. This device allows the learner to discover the rules of his language, any language. Role of the Environment Behaviorism states that the role of the environment is key and vital to the learning process. The environment is the active agent while the learner is the passive agent. The environment produces the necessary language input for the learner. It is up to the environment to give positive and negative reinforcement for the learner. Innatism states that the role of the environment is minimal because it only acts as the trigger for learning. It is also thought the environment is flawed and can’t be relied upon to always give perfect information. Therefore, it is up to the learner to find the rules of the language[o2] . Strengths There are a few strengths to support the behaviorism theory. It is easy to monitor the learners’ performance. This is how parents (as teachers) usually teach their children, through nurturing which puts emphasis on the role of the environment. This theory can also explain why learners have the ability to memorize. On the other hand, there are several strengths of the innatism theory. A learner cannot memorize all the possible different language and grammar combinations that he learns through the environment. The LAD helps the learner to generalize rules and make his own creative use of the language. A child will resist using an irregular form because of over-generalizing, and he will create his own form of a word according to the rules that he has internalized. And these rules don’t necessarily conform to adult grammar rules which include many exceptions. By applying these internalized and generalized rules, a child is able to acquire a language at a fast pace. [o3] Weaknesses The Behaviorism theory only accounts for the performance of the learner, and not on his competence. The learner is passive, so this theory does not focus on the learner’s mind and knowledge. It also does not explain why children acquire a language so quickly even if they are exposed to different environments. In addition, this theory also doesn’t offer an explanation of why children over-generalize rules such as the simple past tense of irregular verbs even though they hear irregular forms in the environment. There are also several weaknesses to the Innatism theory. One of the first weaknesses is that it demands the existence of the Language Acquisition Device (LAD), its existence is difficult to prove and is immeasurable. This theory also doesn’t take into account different kinds of learners, just ideal learners with ideal grammar. The environment plays a minor role in this theory, so it doesn’t take into account the social aspect of the learner. My Opinion Looking at the two of these theories, I find the Innatism theory the most tenable. In my own experience with my children and students, the learners do not always model my behavior. This usually occurs with irregular patterns, particularly past tense verbs. This is similar to the â€Å"wug† test where a child will form a past tense of a verb that he has never heard before by applying the general grammar rules that he has learned. This behavior cannot be memorized and must be driven by an internal structure. Another reason to support this theory is that learners with impaired intelligence have been able to learn the structure of language. It has also been proven that American Sign Language which is taught to the deaf also has its own language structure. In addition, the creation of Creole languages supports the theory. As a Creole develops, grammar and structure are built in. The LAD would account for the formation of these languages as well as for creative uses of language by a learner. Conclusion In this essay I have explained two theories of language acquisition, behaviorism and innatism. In doing so, I have explained the different roles of the learner as well as the environment. I have also explored strengths and weaknesses of each theory and why I support the innatism theory over the behaviorism theory[o4] . [o1]Good one, I forgot this in my essay [o2]Do you think you should mention poverty of stimulus here? [o3]ording? Universal grammar is built off of two propositions, that all languages are governed by a set of universal principles, and that the mind is equipped with parameters which are set intuitively by the child according to the language input they receive. UG researchers have found a number of universal principles. One of the more prominent principles is structure dependency. Structure dependency states that all sentences regardless of the language are built off of propositions that carry both a noun and a verb phrase; in other words, every sentence in every language must have at least a subject and a verb (Chomsky, 1959). One parameter setting that is contained in the LAD is the head setting. Some languages such as English are head first, other languages such as Japanese are head last. Various arguments have been used to support the existence of universal grammar. Chomsky (1959) has proposed the poverty of the stimulus argument, positing that the input children receive cannot account for what they produce, and therefore, children must have an innate facility. He argues that the input is marred in two ways; first it contains a hodgepodge of performance slips, and secondly, it does not contain any negative evidence. How do children acquire language when they don’t know what they can’t say, or how do they learn to speak correctly when the input they here is at times in correct? They do so, according to Chomsky, through this innate capacity. Jackendoff (1994) offers another argument in support of universal grammar, the argument from expressive variety. Jackendoff argues that given that languages are recursive, there is simply no way of storing all of the possible sentences one can create in one’s mind. In other words, sentences don’t come from habits, but rather from creative expression. Universal grammar has had a lot of capital in language acquisition theory, although it has been critiqued on some fronts. Connectionists, particularly, N. Ellis (2006) has argued that language acquisition is not due to an innate faculty and the creative expression of humans, but equates it to a usage-based approach where children learning piecemeal frequently reoccurring chunks of language. Another argument against the innate language faculty is that UG researchers have claimed that only humans have access to syntax, yet this has been found not to be true. Certain animals, such as the humpback whale and songbirds have been found to possess a recursive syntax, suggesting that syntax and language may have evolved from lower order primates. Whereas universal grammar begins with language from the inside, Sociocultural theory, another prominent first language acquisition, posits language acquisition begins from the outside. Vygotsky, the founder of sociocultural theory, argues that language is a psychological tool, which children acquire and learn to manipulate as they interact with their environment and with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978). Children first learn language as they interact with their parents. Parents use caretaker speech, which makes it easier for the child to understand and grasp a hold on the concepts of the language. As the child begins to understand and produce simple utterances, they are able to use the language to mediate their psychological functioning (Vygotsky, 1978). Vygotsky argues that children begin learning language by first learning single words, which are pure meaning. As they develop their language skills, and engage in social speech, single word sentences are augmented through incorporation of non-meaningful elements, such as function  words, and the child’s thoughts and words begin to develop more sense meanings. For instance, where the word ‘cat’ for the 1 or two year old child could have served as an exemplar for all cats, by the time the child is nine, and having undergone a variety of experiences related to cat, they have imbibed the word with their own unique s enses. Thus syntax and word senses expand, the more a child learns. Now, whereas social speech began from one and developed into many, inner speech, the speech that goes on inside of our heads becomes more and more truncated. Vygotsky argues, contrary to Piaget, that egocentric speech does not ‘disappear’ rather it becomes internalized as inner speech. And this inner speech is something that could not be understood by anybody but the person who is thinking it. Vygotsky suggests that just as people who have known each other for many years, and who have had a large amount of experiences together exhibit language tendencies of shortened syntax because of their historical shared experience, a person’s inner speech also exhibits this characteristic, but even more so; the stuff of thought is nothing but psychological predicates (Vygotsky, 1978). One of the primary ways humans learn anything, according to Vygotsky, is through the zone of proximal development. This concept explains that what a person can do today with assistance, they can do tomorrow by themselves (Vygotsky, 1978). Applied to first language acquisition, the child may receive help from an expert, such as their parents, who point at objects and say their name, for example, cat. After seeing this, the child may repeat ‘cat’ immediately after. The next day, as the child sees the cat, it says the word ‘cat’ without needing to be told by their parents. Chomsky maintains that languages consist of an infinite number of sentences and cannot be learned through habit formation. Language is too complex to be learned in such a short amount of time (Chomsky, 1959). He believes that every human is born with an innate language learning capacity, which is embedded in the language acquisition device (LAD). Chomsky believes that all language share grammatical structures. This is called universal grammar (UG). Proof of UG includes poverty of stimulus, which explains how children acquire the language despite their limited exposure and incorrect input they may receive. Another evidence for UG that languages are recursive, (Jackendoff, 1994). It is impossible to know all the possible combinations; however, they are learned by children. According to UG, there must be some sort of innate capacity that provides the additional information. The fact that children are resistant to correction once again proves that language is developed through an innate capacity. According to Chomsky (1959), all languages share principles, which are invariable across languages. For example, noun phrases and verb phrases. This is called structure dependency. All languages have verbs and nouns. What distinguishes languages from each other according to Chomsky, are parameters, which are language specific. For example, some languages are head first, and some are head last. In relation to UG, Eric Lenneberg (1967) introduced the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH), which is a window of language learning opportunity before puberty. Proponents of CPH believe after this period, language learning becomes a much more difficult task and adults tend to rely on other mechanisms such as problem solving skills, reasoning, and deductive instruction to learn a language. Evidence of the CP is for example abused children, who despite being removed from the environment where they were deprived of social contact, were not able to learn the language. There have been many criticisms to Chomsky’s UG, for example, the LAD cannot be located and is immeasurable. Also, Chomsky’s theories overlook the effects of social contact and the environment on language learning. Social interactionist Vygotsky (1978) was a strong proponent of the social interaction hypothesis. He believed that learning takes place through social interaction, and give and take of information with caregivers, parents, or peers. According to Vygotsky, children begin with external speech, which could consist of one word only, but have the meaning of a whole sentence. Gradually, as the child grows older, he develops more complex and longer sentences and associates more meaning with his words. A child also engages in private speech (similar to adults), which is usually meant for problem solving or thinking out loud, but is not meant for sharing although articulated. Vygotsky believes that as the child develops more linguistic skills, this private speech becomes internalized and turns into inner speech, which is pure meaning, and does not consist of subjects; it is predicated. In direct opposition to the environment being the active participant in language learning, Chomsky flips behaviorism on its head and presents the learner as having a primary role while environment becomes secondary. Within the Universal Grammar Theory (UG), Noam Chomsky (1959) presents a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) that is responsible for the language learning process. Purely biological, language is filtered through the innate LAD that is structured with principles that are unchanging and parameters that vary according to the language being learned. Proofs to support this theory are many. Syntax and the head-first/head-last parameter are two such proofs. As a child learns language, they hold to one of only two possibilities in any given language – head-first and head-last – and language is formed through recursion and syntactic movement that follow a pattern within a particular language. This shows that language is rule-governed and that the LAD is programmed with language foundations from which a child can develop. That children are resistant to correction follows this same thought as they develop language through the LAD. Language is not linked to intelligence as we see in brain damaged adults who are completely coherent in language skills and others who are cognitively normal but cannot speak correctly. Stroke victims also show that, depending on the area of the brain that is affected, intelligence and speech are not linked. Broca’s and Wernicke’s Aphasias show that certain areas of the brain affec t speech while intelligence remains unaffected. As evidenced by the Gopnik family, genetic impairments have also proven that a glitch in the UG can be passed down from one generation to another, thus proving that the LAD is indeed biological (Jackendoff, 113). Eric Lenneberg’s Critical Period Hypothesis (1967) and the cases of â€Å"wild children† are yet further evidence. Lenneberg holds that the LAD becomes dormant or ineffective after a certain age – around the age of 12 – and this is why children acquire language so much more quickly than adults who are attempting the same. Through these studies of particular children who did not learn language and who were void of contact with language as a whole, it shows that the younger the child, the more fully they were able to learn language. Once a child was passed the age of 12 or so, they were unable to acquire proper language skills. The younger children were not only able to learn more adequately but then went on to continue in the language learning process as a normal adult would. As many proofs as there are for Chomsky’s UG and the LAD, criticisms are plentiful as well. First and foremost, where is the evidence that a device like LAD exists? It certainly has not been located in the brain, therefore, it remains immeasurable and some have serious doubt as to its legitimacy. This theory also limits the role of the environment and gives no account for the social context of the language learning process. It idealizes the speaker and the grammar itself to a certain degree and packages the entire process a bit too neatly. Cognitive Development Theory Jean Piaget’s (1955) work in cognitive development is foundational on many levels. Watching his own children, nature, and certain study groups of young children, Piaget introduces a theory that is completely developmental. As a child is ready and developed (both biologically and cognitively), they are able to assimilate, accommodate and adapt new experiences. Underlying in this theory is reasoning and logic. The role of the environment is minimal and the learner is vital but only as they are cognitively developed and ready for new experiences. A child will not learn what they are not cognitively developed to receive at that point no matter what the instruction. Piaget holds to the notion of children developing schema. As a new experience is received and they are biologically and cognitively ready to receive it, they will develop new schema to fit into the framework of schema that they already have developed. This theory also relies heavily on egocentric and socialized speech with each one serving a different function. Egocentric speech is what is used (mainly by children) when words and thoughts are spoken out loud but the one speaking is only dealing with their own thoughts and ideas. Socialized speech is a shift away from egocentric speech where one simply derives pleasure from speaking to being a way of exchanging their ideas or opinions. Although Piaget’s work and theory is critical, it neither accounts for the child’s behavior as a whole nor for the cognitive development after the stage of ‘formal operation’ is reached. It offers vast insight into the developmental process of a child but little instruction on attaining language skills. It was also based solely on a Western model and is therefore quite limiting. SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION Input Output Hypotheses As a result of older models of language teaching where attention was given to language grammar, Krashen (1981) places his focus on communication input. He contends that if the learner is given a chance to absorb the language, they will be better equipped to acquire it. Rather than forcing output immediately, Krashen holds to a silent period where learners have the privilege of just listening to language before attempting it†¦much like a young child would in learning their mother tongue. Comprehensible input (i + 1) is the formula that Krashen holds to for optimal language learning for second language learners (SLLs). This states that if a SLL is offered input that is only slightly beyond what they already know, acquisition will take place. He also makes a differentiation between language learning and language acquisition, claiming that acquisition is what is needed for the language learning process. Criticisms of Krashen’s hypothesis are that input alone cannot account for acquisition and that some grammatical forms cannot be learned without being taught. Swain (1985) introduces her Output Hypothesis in contrast to Krashen and claims that no matter the input, if the output is unintelligible, acquisition has not truly occurred. It is the output that forces learners to grapple with the grammatical processing and figure out what works. Through output, a learner can realize their problem areas, can experiment with new areas they are unsure of, and gives them the chance to analyze problems they are having in their language learning process.

Computer Hardware :: Technology Computers Papers

It seems that in today's world nothing can be done without a computer, but upon a closer look, you will find that it is the hardware components and input and output devices that make a computer useful. What is it that determines the speed at which a computer can find a file? How do you get a report from your PC to the members of your next Board meeting? It is the hardware that is used with your computer that allows you to accomplish all of your business needs using your computer. Data input is the collection of raw data that is used to find needed information. Data input is an important part of any business, but different businesses have different needs when it comes to input devices. Some common business needs and the best data input solution to solve them are listed below: Printed questionnaires- An optical mark recognizer (OCR) would be best because it will read the answers chosen by the participant and turn it in to digital data. Telephone survey- A voice recognition device would be the best solution because it would allow the telephone survey answers to be converted for digital use. Bank checks- A magnetic ink character recognition device (MICR) is the best answer for banks because it was developed by banks to read a special magnetic ink with pertinent data to be converted in to digital information (Stair & Reynolds, 2006). Retail tags- For retail tags, bar code scanners allow for keeping track of inventory and for pricing and labeling. Long documents- Optical data readers are the best bet for allowing long documents to be scanned into digital data. Once a company has the input they need in digital form, they must have a tool that allows them to create high quality output of the information gathered. There are many output devices, but it is important to have the correct one for the job. Listed below are some examples of output and the best way to get it: Hand held computer- The best way to get output from a hand held is through the built in liquid crystal display (LCD) since there are no other built in output features. Color photograph- A color photo should be printed on a high resolution photo printer, or if it is a very large photo, a color plotter would be a good option. Resume- Since most resumes are printed at home, a personal ink jet printer is the way to go.